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mingling of genres, the poem represented a new departure in English poetry, for which Spenser invented a new stanza, “a hybrid form adopted from the Scots poetry of James I, ‘rhyme royal’, and Italian ‘ottava rima’” (ODNB).
Spenser began composing the work in the 1570s, sharing “parcels” of it among friends.
Though no rough drafts, autograph cop- ies, or foul papers for the poem have survived, the poet alludes to a manu - script copy as early as 1580, when in a letter to Gabriel Harvey he asks for one to be returned to him: “I wil in hande forthwith with my Faery Queene, whyche I praye you hartily send me with al expedition: and your frendly Letters, and long expected Iudgement wythal” (Three Proper, and wittie familiar Let- ters). The poem, or some part of it, was almost certainly circu- lating in manuscript in London in 1588, when Abraham Fraunce quotes a stanza in his Arcadian Rhetorick, correctly citing its book and canto (“Spencer in his Faerie queene.2.book.cant.4”). The first part was finally printed in 1590, possibly intended to coincide with the publication of Philip Sidney’s Arcadia. In this copy, the first part (Vol. I) has the widely spaced date line on title and the “1” of “1590” under the “r” of “for” in the imprint, the printed dedication on verso of title-page, p.332 lines 4 and 5 without the Welsh words and spaces left for them. The terminal complimentary sonnets are present in both states with leaves Pp6-8 (the rejected version of the son - nets) supplied from another copy and the final signature Qq1-4 printing the revised version of the sonnets. The misnumbering of pages is as noted in Pforzheimer, except that on pp. 486-7, which are correctly numbered, and with the number “3” is present at p.403 (but printed backwards). The second part has the misnumberings noted in Pforzheimer, with the addition of p.269 misnumbered 271. ESTC S117748; Grolier, Langland to Wither 231 & 233; Hayward 22; Pfor - zheimer 969 & 970; STC 23081 & 23082. John Dryden, “Preface” in Fables Ancient and Modern, 1700; Edmund Spenser, Three Proper, and wittie familiar Letters, 1580. A COMPLETE COPY IN CONTEMPORARY MOROCCO LOVELACE, Richard LUCASTA Posthume poems of Richard Lovelace Esq. WITH... Elegies Sacred To the Memory of the Au - thor: By several of his Friends. 1660. Printed by William Godbid for Clement Darby, 1659 [1660] [45450] First edition (not to be confused with a different work of 1649 by the same name). 8vo. Contemporary full black morocco with
double ruled gilt borders to the boards and spine and fleurons in each of the corners. All edges gilt. Engraved frontispiece por - trait of Lovelace by Hollar after Frances Lovelace dated 1660 (Pennington’s second state); engraved portrait of Lucasta by W. Faithorne after P. Lely; separate title-page to Elegies, additional engraved allegorical title-page to Elegies by Faithorne after Lilly, woodcut initial at beginning; also loosely inserted is a copy of the Lucasta portrait plate from the 1649 Lucasta. A fine copy with a little wear to the joint at the base of the spine, but the binding entirely unrepaired. Frontispiece neatly remargined, the upper corner restored in early pen. Internally exceptionally fresh, with just occasional minor marginal loss or repair, with the corner of the rear blank torn away, and some marginal annotation. A su- perb copy. $60,000 This collection of poems, as with Lovelace’s 1649 collection, is titled in homage to his mistress and muse, Lady Lucy Scheverell, who married another suitor when Lovelace was incorrectly reported to have been killed in battle in France. However this volume is entirely different from the earlier collection, with completely different poems by Lovelace, and
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